The End is Near: A Writers Strike Update
Last night, thousands of members from the Writers Guild gathered on both coasts (WGA East in NYC, WGA West in Los Angeles). Various sources are reporting that there is a tentative deal on the table, and that the members of the WGA will decide by tomorrow whether or not the Strike continues. On Tuesday, members will then cast their votes whether or not to agree to the terms of the new deal, and Hollywood might be back to work as early as Wednesday. That is a cautiously optimistic best-case-scenario, but I believe we (the fans) should continue to support the writers and be patient as this unfolds.
Patrick Verrone, President of the WGA West, released the following statement yesterday (which I am excerpting; the entire letter can be found on Deadline Hollywood Daily):
We have a tentative deal.It is an agreement that protects a future in which the Internet
becomes the primary means of both content creation and delivery. It
creates formulas for revenue-based residuals in new media, provides
access to deals and financial data to help us evaluate and enforce
those formulas, and establishes the principle that, “When they get
paid, we get paid.”
Over these three difficult months, we shut down production of nearly
all scripted content in TV and film and had a serious impact on the
business of our employers in ways they did not expect and were hard
pressed to deflect. Nevertheless, an ongoing struggle against seven,
multinational media conglomerates, no matter how successful, is
exhausting, taking an enormous personal toll on our members and
countless others. As such, we believe that continuing to strike now
will not bring sufficient gains to outweigh the potential risks and
that the time has come to accept this contract and settle the strike.Much has been achieved, and while this agreement is neither perfect
nor perhaps all that we deserve for the countless hours of hard work
and sacrifice, our strike has been a success. We activated, engaged,
and involved the membership of our Guilds with a solidarity that has
never before occurred. We developed a captains system and a
communications structure that used the Internet to build bonds within
our membership and beyond. We earned the backing of other unions and
their members worldwide, the respect of elected leaders and politicians
throughout the nation, and the overwhelming support of fans and the
general public. Our thanks to all of them, and to the staffs at both
Guilds who have worked so long and patiently to help us all.
I will update this post when additional details emerge.